What are Water Pollutants and How They Affect Our Life?

With the increasing demand, different sources of water supplies are used to meet the domestic and industrial water requirements. As a result, we are getting water from the public water supplies, bottled water and private wells. However, lack of water treatment allows water pollutants to enter our body and harm them with immediate effect or in the long run. So, what are water pollutants? And what can unfiltered water do to our bodies?

Read this content on water pollution facts, where you will get to know two main types of water pollutants- one is chemical and another one is microbial. Most concerning chemical pollutants include arsenic, lead, disinfection by-products, radioactive substances, fluoride, mercury, and nitrates. On the other hand, microbial contaminants that hamper our health include bacteria, viruses and parasites. On top of these, plastic pollution is a rising concern in our daily life, as it is sparing neither land nor the water surface from getting polluted.

However, consumption of unfiltered drinking water, eating fish, swimming and inhalation of vapours from contaminated water cause problems to our bodies. Here is a brief discussion on water pollutants and how they affect our life.

Dangerous water pollutants and their adverse health effect

Pollutants enter in various ecological cycles and contaminate food, soil and air. Read on the details below to know about the pollutants from microbial and chemical contamination in detail-

Bacteria:

Waterborne diseases from bacteria may cause acute gastroenteritis, which results from irritation of the digestive tract. It may cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, loss of appetite and abdominal cramping.

Parasites:

Enteric protozoa produce gastroenteritis, which causes non-bloody diarrhoea that lasts for 4-10 days with vomiting, bloating and decreased appetite.

Viruses:

Enteric viruses also cause irritation of the gastrointestinal tract and you may find symptoms like vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramping, loss of appetite and diarrhoea.

Lead:

Lead gets into drinking water through leaching from the corroded pipes and plumbing fixtures that contain lead. Exposure to this toxic pollutant can cause brain damage resulting in learning disability and violent behaviour. Even low levels of lead can also cause nausea, seizures and reproductive issues.

You can’t taste or smell lead in your drinking water, all you can do is call an expert to test whether the water contains lead and deploy a filtration system accordingly.

Arsenic:

The chemical form of arsenic contaminates the water. The organic form of arsenic is less toxic than the inorganic one. The inorganic arsenic acts as an enzyme poison, which can affect health in the long run. Upon ingesting for a long time, arsenic can cause the risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. It also hinders the overall development of the children.

Disinfection by-products:

Since drinking water contains bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, we often add disinfectants to the water to kill them. Disinfection by-products in drinking water sometimes turn out to be carcinogenic chemicals when disinfectants like chlorine interact with organic substances in the water source and cause water pollution.

The severity of the chemical by-products in the drinking water depends on the nature of the water, types of treatment used to remove the organic matter, microorganisms and other particles.

Radioactive substances:

The growing nuclear plants are the reasons for radioactive substance contamination, and some of these materials are also found in nature. So, when these substances seep into groundwater sources like coal mining, construction, oil and gas production, it causes contamination.

For example, exposure to radium can cause bone cancer, whereas other radioactive materials can damage skin, kidneys, lungs, stomach, liver and cause thyroid dysfunction. You should call an expert like Swift Green filters who can test the radioactive contaminants that your water has and will determine which filtration system would be ideal for you.

Fluoride:

Safe amount of fluoride is said to protect teeth from decay, as it is said to be the major ingredient in toothpaste. However, excess amounts of fluoride in water can lower the IQ level of the children and also can cause muscle impairment or joint pain and stiffness. Bring the right water filter and set it up by an expert to discard such possibilities at the initial stage.

Mercury:

Mercury gets mixed in the water from different sources like paint and other industrial waste sites. A high dose of this particle can damage the nervous system, create issues related to unborn children and kidney diseases as well.

Plastic pollutants:

When plastic waste is accumulated on the river bed or any water surface, it causes environmental pollution by trapping waste and wildlife. Most of the plastic pollution starts out on land and its main contributor is commercial and household waste. So, when plastic traps organic or chemical items, it starts infusing different particles in water and promotes environmental pollution over time. On top of it, when public water preservers lack water treatment or disinfection, it spreads water-borne diseases.                                                        

However, there are several different water treatment methods available to know what the water pollutants are and treat them at the sources. The most effective method is the water filtration system and Swift Green Filters offers environmentally-friendly and recyclable water filters that use carbon blocks made of Activated Coconut Carbon.